Film debut of Martha Scott. She was not considered for the role of "Emily" at first because of her poor screen test for the role of "Melanie" in Gone with the Wind (1939), but she was chosen after much auditioning of other actresses.
Thornton Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize for the play the film is based on. The score for the film is by another Pulitzer Prize winner: Aaron Copland.
The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 4 February 1938 at Henry Miller's Theatre, and had 338 performances. Frank Craven, Martha Scott (her Broadway debut), Arthur B. Allen, and Doro Merande originated their movie roles in the play, and Teresa Wright was an understudy. The popular Pulitzer Prize play also had three revivals on Broadway.
The cast includes three Oscar winners (William Holden, Fay Bainter, and Thomas Mitchell) and three Oscar nominees (Martha Scott, Beulah Bondi, and Stuart Erwin).